Latos, Reds salvage final game in Arizona, 4-2

FS Ohio

PHOENIX (AP) -- Mat Latos matched his career high with 13 strikeouts and the
Cincinnati Reds salvaged the finale of their three-game series in Arizona with a 4-2 victory over the
Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Shin-Soo Choo hit a leadoff home run and
Brandon Phillips added a two-run shot in the first inning off Randall Delgado (0-1).

That was plenty of offense for Latos (7-1), who allowed a run on six hits with one walk in 7 2-3 innings.

Latos, coming off his first loss in 21 starts, didn't strike anyone out in the first two innings, then fanned 13 over the next 5 2-3.

After blowing a save in Cincinnati's 4-3 loss on Saturday,
Aroldis Chapman gave up a run in a shaky ninth but still got his 19th save.

The loss snapped Arizona's four-game winning streak.

In the ninth, Chapman got the first two batters to bounce out to shortstop before
Cliff Pennington singled and went to second on defensive indifference. Pinch-hitter
Wil Nieves singled in Pennington to cut it to 4-2.

A wild pitch moved Nieves to second, then Chapman hit
Gerardo Parra in the right forearm with a 100 mph fastball.

Pitching coach Bryan Price went to the mound to settle down Chapman, and the left-hander got
Willie Bloomquist to pop out to center to end the game.

Latos fanned six in a row in the third and fourth -- Delgado, Parra, Bloomquist, Paul Goldschmidt,
Miguel Montero and
Jason Kubel -- all swinging. Of Latos' season-high 110 pitches, 79 were strikes.

The Reds jumped on Delgado from the start.

Choo hit an 0-2 pitch into the swimming pool area in right field, his fourth leadoff homer of the season and ninth of his career. Zach Cozart followed with a double, then after
Joey Votto struck out looking, Phillips' homer to left made it 3-0.

Choo and Phillips each have 11 home runs this season.

Cincinnati added an unearned run in the second.
Xavier Paul led off with a double, then Pennington bobbled Devin Mesoraco's grounder down the third base line for an error. Latos sacrificed the runners to second and third, and after Choo walked to load the bases, Cozart brought Paul home with a sacrifice fly to the wall in left-center.

Delgado went five innings, allowing four runs -- three earned -- and six hits.

The right-hander, who came to Arizona from Atlanta as part of the
Justin Upton trade, made his second start since being called up from Triple-A Reno to bolster a rotation depleted by the 10-game suspension of
Ian Kennedy and a shoulder injury to
Brandon McCarthy.

The Diamondbacks broke through in the eighth when Parra doubled with one out, then advanced to third on Bloomquist's groundout. Goldschmidt drew a two-out walk and Montero singled Parra home to make it 4-1, maintaining Arizona's status as the only team in the majors not to be shut out this season.

Left-hander
Manny Parra relieved Latos and got Jason Kubel to ground out to first to end the inning.

The Diamondbacks had runners at first and third with one out in the fifth but Latos struck out pinch-hitter
Eric Hinske and Parra to end the threat.

A.J. Pollock threw out Votto trying to advance to second on Phillips' deep fly to center, ending the Reds' fifth.

NOTES: Arizona starters do not have a win in their last 16 games. ... Latos struck out at least 10 for the second time this season and seventh in his career. ... The Reds played for the 17th day in a row. They have a day off Monday, then open a two-game series in Oakland with
Bronson Arroyo (6-5, 3.13 ERA) on the mound for Cincinnati and Tommy Milone (6-7, 3.98) going for the A's. ... Arizona has Monday off, then opens a three-game series at Washington on Tuesday.
Trevor Cahill (3-8, 3.92) pitches for the Diamondbacks against
Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.34). ... Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said 2B
Aaron Hill, on the DL since April 14 with a broken left hand, could be activated for the
Nationals opener. ... Pennington started at 3B for the first time since 2008.